Doctor Who Is Officially Returning This Year

Published Sep 17, 2026, 7:48 AM EDT

Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. 

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Doctor Who is easily the longest-running science fiction franchise in history, spanning across decades of new iterations with a unique ability to capture new audiences and bring old fans back with each generation. Since the series first premiered in 1963, the adventures of the Doctor have managed to avoid becoming stale through one of television's smartest storytelling devices: regeneration.

This unique concept allows the character not to be tied to a single actor, letting the Time Lord change faces, personalities, and move across eras while remaining fundamentally the same person at heart. That has given fans an extraordinary range of Doctors over the decades, from William Hartnell's stern First Doctor and Tom Baker's eccentric Fourth to David Tennant's enormously popular Tenth and Fourteenth incarnations.

Matt Smith's youthful Eleventh ranks among the fan-favorites, while Jodie Whittaker’s groundbreaking Thirteenth and Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth took the franchise into new territory entirely. Each actor has brought something distinctly different to the role, helping Doctor Who survive changing audiences and cultural trends while constantly finding new ways to make its central character feel fresh.

And now, with the upcoming release of Battles In Time: Obliterator, fans can celebrate all 15 doctors in grand fashion (via Zatu).

Doctor Who fans have a major dose of nostalgia on the way with the return of Doctor Who: Battles in Time, which originally launched in 2006. The beloved TCG features Doctors, companions, villains, and monsters from across the series. Obliterator is a new booster pack release available for pre-order now that brings that concept back for a new generation while finally incorporating characters and eras that debuted long after the original Battles in Time sets launched.

The Limited Edition Obliterator Booster Box contains 36 packs, with six cards in each pack. Every card in this edition carries a special gold-foil Obliterator logo, while each sealed box comes with a tamper-proof authenticity sticker identifying it as part of the 2026 Limited Edition release. Buyers also receive one Limited Edition oversized card, with six different versions available to collect.

Individual packs can contain UV-glossed base cards, rainbow-foil enhanced Rares, premium holofoil Super Rares, and the new Vortex Rare cards, which use a metallic printing technology and serve as the collection's major chase cards.

The launch is also being coordinated alongside the BBC and The Whoniverse Show, giving Obliterator a notable connection to the wider Doctor Who franchise. A separate Unlimited Retail Edition is planned for later in 2026, though unlike the Limited Edition's gold branding, every card in that version will feature a silver-foil Obliterator logo.

Zatu Games currently lists the Limited Edition Booster Box for pre-order at a discount for roughly $90, giving collectors a great opportunity to secure a sealed box ahead of release, though a specific ship date has not been provided. Doctor Who fans will not want to sleep on this one as collectors and players alike will scoop these up fast.

Doctor Who